Rail-joint shim



April 2, 1 29. R, E KE U H 1,707,437

RAIL JOINT SHIN Original Filed Dec. '17, 1927 Patented Apr. 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES were? PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT EMME'I KEOUGI-I, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO THE. AMERI- CAN FORK & HOE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION. OF OHIO.

RAIL-JOINT SHIT/I."

Original application filed December 17, 1927, Serial No. 240,685. Divided and this August 20, 1928. Serial No. 300,670.

This invention relates to an improvement in rail joint construction and relates more particularly to wear compensating means for old or worn rail joints, whereby rail joint bars which have become worn by movements of the rail in the joint and which otherwise are sufliciently strong to meet the requirementsof practical use may continue to be employed for efficient use inconnection with either old rails or new rails.

The wear in a rail joint is found to be greatest at the ends of the rails due to contraction and expansion of the rails and due to the increased motion of the rails under varying speed and load conditions. The hammering down of'the rail ends ultimate- 1y results in wear, particularly of the rail joint bars at the undersides .of the rail heads and this-wear is much increased immediately at the ends of the rails.

In myco-pending application, Serial No. 99,475, filed April 3, 1926, I disclosed a novel shim adapted to be fitted in place between portions of a rail joint side bar and the undersides of therail head and which will permit continued use of the rail joint side bars regardless of the amount of wear had on their upper inner surfaces. These prior shims are broadly of two general types, which I might term whole shims and half shims. Shims of the whole type, are tapered both ways from their mid portion, which are disposed adjacent the ends of the rails, one of such shims beingplaced at each of the two sides of the joined rails; whereas the half type shims are tapered in one direction only, and double the number of such shims are required.

The present invention relates particularly to improvements in whole type shims and has for an object the provision of a shim of the whole type which'may be accurately positioned relative to the rail joint ends and without liability of displacement therefrom during use of the rail joint.

JAnother object of my invention is to provide an improved rail joint shim: adapted to serve the purpose of compensating for wear between opposed surfaces of the rail, joint .parts,.and which will not be readily displaced, either longitudinally or laterally in thejoint, and which maybe manufactured application filed with a minimum of steel or other like shim material.

Another object of my invention is to provide a wear compensating means adaptable to be placed inthe space provided by the wearing away of portions of the rail joint or the rails comprised therein, and which will support the parts in their proper positions.

Another object of my inventionis to provlde against the longitudinal shifting of the wear compensating means of the various types proposed herein, so that the wear compensating means will always be retained in that position relative to the worn portions of the rail or rail joint surfaces wherein they will most efiiciently compensate for the wear thereof. 7

Other objects of the invention vention itself will become apparent by reference to the following description of cerand the in tain embodiments of my invention, and in which description reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, illustrating the said embodiments.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective View of a-shim of the whole type, two of which are usually disposed on opposite sides of the rail in a rail joint.

Fig. 2 illustrates, in side elevation, a pair of abutting rail. ends with the shim of Fig. 1 shown in operative position relative thereto, rail joint bolts being shown as cut away, and the rail joint side bar being removed to expose inwardly positioned portions of the shim.

Fig. 8 illustrates the rail joint of Fig. 2, but with the side bar held in place by nuts placed on the ends of the bolts, most of the shim being hidden thereby.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the different figures of drawing in all of which like parts are designated by like reference characters, the rail joint of my invention comprises a pair of joint side bars which are bolted to the two sides of a pair of longitudinally abutting railway rails by a plurality of rail bolts passing through the aligned perforations of the joint bars and the intermediate webs of the rails; also as later more specifically described, I provide at either or both sides of the two abutting rails, shims as illustrated herein, depending upon the amount of wear which has previously occurred on the surface of the joint bars and rails which in the operation of the joint are susceptible to wear by pounding together, incidental to the passage of a train over the rail joint.

It will be i'mderstood that the shims as herein illustrated may be placed at either or both sides of any rail joint and will be made in varying thicknesses to compensate for varying degrees of wear met with in practice and desired to be compensated for by the inclusion of such shims in the joint.

In the drawings I illustrate a wear compensating means for the rail joint, comprising a shim of hardened steel or like material, illustrated'in Fig. 1, which is rolled or otherwise formed to be of greatest thickness in its longitudinal medial portion as indicated by the line 44 shown on Fig. 3, and as illustrated in section in Fig. 4, the shim bein so placed in the joint that such portion of greatest thickness is adapted to contact with the opposing surfaces of the joint side bar and the rail upon which the greatest wear has been accomplished.

From the line 44 of greatest thickness and towards the ends of the shim proceeding from such line of greatest thickness, the shim is preferably made of progressively less thickness, the minimum thickness being at the ends of the shim. The shim is, in all longitudinal sections extending transversely of the joint, preferably of the same thickness. This will provide a compensating filler for the crevice formed by the pounding of the rails on the rail joint side bars which is widest at its middle portion, generally at the ends of the rails and which tapers in breadth in portions of the joint relatively remote from the ends of the rails.

Referring now particularly to the parts shown in the drawing, a pair of railway rails are shown at 1 and 2 having abutting ends and joined together by rail joint side bars 3 and 4, bolts 5 and 6 being provided for each rail, projected through the suitably apertured rail webs 7, and apertures such as 8 and 9 of the rail joint side bars 3 and 4. The continued use of the rails causes their ends to impact forcibly against the supporting surfaces 10 of the side bars, causing a crevice to appear normally between the opposing surfaces 10 of the rail joint side bars 11 and the underside of the rail head 12.

I provide, preferably, at each side of the rail, shims as illustrated at 13, Fig. 1, which are preferably thickest in the intermediate portions 14, and thinnest at their ends 15 and 16, longitudinally spaced therefrom. The change in thickness is preferably gradual from the intermediate portion 14, to the end portions 15 and 16, since the greatest amount of wear in the rail joint occurs nearest the ends of the rails, the wear being gradually less in the portions of the surfaces 10 and 11 disposed more and more remote from the ends of the rails.

hen the shim of Fig. 1 is placed in the joint at the two sides of the rails'l and 2, the thickness of shim chosen is that which will preforafily most completely fill the crevice .oc *asioned by wear of the joint, although it is within the purview of my invention to overiill the crevice where this is considered desirable, and it is moreover within the purview of the present invention to form the shim, which is of angular cross sectional form, in all cases, of any desired thickness in portions adapted to be disposed in dif-"- ferent relative longitudinal positions within the joint.

The present invention involves more par ticularly the means comprising the apron 17 depending from the flange 18 of the angularly formed shim, which is adapted to so depend between the transversely extending bolts 6 adjacent the ends of the rails, that engagement between the edges 19 and 20 and the lateral surface of one or the other, or both, of the bolts {3, will occur whenever the shim 13 tends to move within the joint longi tudinally thereof. The bolt 6, in such a case, will effectively prevent such longitudinal movement, and at the same time the shim may be placed in the joint without the necessity of removing the bolts and reinserting them through apertures of the shim, which is another alternative arrangement which might be devised to accomplish the same purpose.

The aprons 1? are integrally formed with the flange 18 of the shim, which supports he wear compensating flange 20 between the opposing surfaces 10 and 11 of the rail joint, side bar, and rail head, respectively. It will be understood, of course, that the bolts 6 and the nuts 26 on the ends of the bolts, clamp the side bars 8 and 4, pulling them inwardly against the inclined surfaces 27 on the upper side of the rail base 28 and against the under downwardly inclined surface of the shim flange 20.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 240,685, filed December 17, 1927, and co-pending herewith.

Having thus described my invention, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made from the invention herein illustrated and described, but without departing from the spirit of my invention.

1 claim:

1. A wear compensating means for rail joints comprising a metallic shim progressively thickened from each end in the direction of its length toward the center of the joint, and comprising depending portions adjacent the middle portion adapted to engage with the joint securing bolts disposed nearest the center of the joint to prevent longitudinal displacement of the shim in the joint.

2. A shim for worn rail joints comprising a body of angular cross-section havingan angular section increasing in thickness from an end toward the center of the joint and adapted to be disposed between the under side of the head of a rail end and the upper side of a joint bar and comprising a depending apron adapted to contact with a joint bolt to restrict the shim from longitudinal movement in the joint.

3. A wear compensating means for worn rail joints comprising a shim section increasing in thickness in the direction of its length toward the center of the joint and comprising a depending portion adapted to engage a securing bolt of the joint to restrict longitudinal movement of the shim in the joint.

4. A wear compensating means for rail joints comprising a metallic shim section tapering in thickness from its mid portion toward both its ends and the thickened portion being adapted to be disposed beneath the ends of adjacent rail heads above the upper edge of the joint bar to compensate for wear between the opposing surfaces of the heads and the joint bar, and comprising integrally depending portions engageable with relatively immovable portions of the joint to restrict movements of the shim in a longitudinal direction relative to the ends of the rails.

, 5. A wear compensating means for rail joints comprising a metallic shim section adapted to be disposed beneath the ends of adjacent rail heads above the upper edge of the joint bar to compensate for wear between the opposing surfaces of the heads and the joint bar, and comprising integrally depending portions engageable with relatively immovable portions of the joint to restrict movements of the shim in a longitudinal direction relative to the ends of the rails.

6. A wear compensating means for rail joints comprising a sheet metal shim of angular cross section progressively thickened from its ends towards its middle in an upper bearing portion of the shimand having a depending. apron angularly disposed to said bearing portion adapted to extend between the web of the rail and the joint bar and having lateral edge portions engageable with the rail joint bolts passing through the joint bars and rail web to prevent longitudinal shifting ofthe shim in the joint.

7. A wear compensating means for rail joints comprising a sheet metal shim of angular cross section progressively thickened fromits ends towards its middle in an upper bearing portion of the shim and having a depending apron angularly disposed to said depending apron angularly disposed to said bearing portion adapted to extend between the web of the rail and the joint bar and engageable with the rail joint bolts passing through the joint bars and rail web to prevent longitudinal shifting of the shim in the joint, said apron being shorter than the VROBERT EMMET KEOUGH. 

